Michael Jordan ‘Flu Game’ Shoes Sold for $104,765 at Auction

The shoes worn by Michael Jordan during his legendary performance in Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals were given to a Utah Jazz ballboy. The guy put the kicks up for auction, and 16 years later, he cashed in for a cool $104K. Per ESPN: “The shoes, brought to the market by Grey Flannel Auctions and consigned by former Utah Jazz ball boy Preston Truman, were worn by Jordan during Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals in which Jordan scored 38 points for the Chicago Bulls despite laboring up and down the court from feeling sick that day. The identity of the winning bidder was not immediately made public, but the amount paid blew away the previous record paid for a pair of game-used shoes, which were also worn by Jordan. A collector paid $31,070 just last month for a pair that Jordan wore in his rookie season. [...] ‘I think my photo that Jordan’s bodyguard took with me standing there drove up the price because buyers didn’t have to worry if they were real,’ Truman said. Photos from the game and of the broadcast also showed Truman taking care of the Bulls bench. Even though Truman said he secured many pairs of game-used shoes from players during his seasons as a ball boy, he said he did it for the challenge instead of as a collector. Never getting attached to the shoes themselves made them easier to sell. ‘I have looked at the shoes maybe four times since putting them in a safety deposit box 16 years ago,’ Truman said. ‘I would go years without even thinking about it. … I just didn’t see the point to something so cool and a part of NBA history sitting at my bank anymore.’ The pair of size 13 shoes are also autographed by Jordan. About five years ago, Truman thought about parting with the shoes, so he provided Christie’s auction house with the details. After they came back with an estimate of $5,000, Truman put them back at the bank. This year, a friend convinced him to put them on the market and the estimate was more bullish from Grey Flannel, who sold a pair of game-used rookie Air Jordans for $21,780.”